New APA video gets teens talking about sexualized images of girls

Six middle-school girls shared their thoughts and feelings about how girls are portrayed in the media today.

What do pre-teen and teenage girls really think when they see scantily clad women and girls their own age striking provocative poses in advertisements? APA conducted a lively discussion with six middle-school girls who shared their reactions in a new video entitled, “Girls Talk: The Sexualization of Girls,” produced by APA’s Public Interest Directorate. Created to accompany APA’s “Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls,” the video features girls ranging in age from 11-14 and touches on many of the topics and themes discussed in the report.

Tina Wolridge, APA Public Interest Directorate communications and administration coordinator (and mother of a 13-year-old girl), created and produced the video to educate people about the term “sexualization” and share the girls’ insights with a wider audience. “One of the hardest responsibilities of being a parent to a 13-year-old girl is explaining the sexualized images of young women that are seen on TV, in skimpy clothing, magazines and sexy videos,” Wolridge said.

APA’s task force report explored sexualization’s consequences for girls’ mental and physical health as well as its impact on their development of a healthy self-image. The report offers recommendations for what both parents and girls can to do overcome sexualization.